Phonetic Spelling Clues Flashcards

A phonetic clue pairs 'grone' with 'groan'. If the same key is used, what does 'mone' represent?

Answer: moan

Since 'grone' = 'groan', the pattern 'one' encodes the long O sound, so 'mone' = 'moan'.

The MLAT tests your ability to learn phonetic rules quickly. If rule 1 says 'ii = long E', what does 'miit' represent?

Answer: meet

Applying rule 1, 'ii' = long E, so m + ii + t = 'meet'.

A phonetic exercise shows: 'həˈraɪzən'. Which word is this?

Answer: horizon

Schwa + 'r' + long I (aɪ) + 'z' + schwa + 'n' gives the three-syllable word 'horizon'.

Which pair of words share the SAME vowel phoneme despite having different spellings?

Answer: meet / meat

'Meet' and 'meat' both contain the long E phoneme (iː), demonstrating that different spellings can represent one sound.

A phonetic key marks the 'zh' sound (as in 'measure') with the symbol 'ʒ'. Which phonetic string represents 'treasure'?

Answer: treʒər

'Treasure' contains the voiced fricative ʒ in the middle (the 'zh' sound), giving 'treʒər'.

On the MLAT, a nonsense word 'floop' is defined as rhyming with 'loop'. What phonetic vowel does 'oo' represent in this key?

Answer: The vowel in 'moon' (uː)

Because 'floop' rhymes with 'loop', the 'oo' represents the long U vowel (uː) as in 'moon'.

A phonetic clue exercise gives you the rule: double consonants signal a short preceding vowel. Under this rule, which word would be spelled 'runnner' phonetically?

Answer: runner

The double 'nn' signals the short U vowel before it, so 'runnner' encodes 'runner' with its short U.